


Friends of the Devil

by WhiteRose (transatlantic_fanfic)



Series: Duology How the Crow Flies / Friends of the Devil [2]
Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: After King of Scars, F/M, Gangs, Inej as Captain Ghafa, Kaz has fun, Ketterdam, M/M, Maybe too much fun?, Multi, Parem
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27998040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transatlantic_fanfic/pseuds/WhiteRose
Summary: It's Ketterdam gangland. Nothing is free, everything has to be paid for. Kaz has big plans for selling a version of parem that works for ordinary people (but not grisha), his friends intervene, lines are drawn, alliances crossed, and every crow will come to terms with what it means to be a friend of the devil. When Kaz seizes the new business opportunity, he positions the dregs as top of the Barrel. A new generation of dregs is more than willing to risk a gang war. The other crows however are less than impressed with Kaz' strategizing. Has profit triumphed over reason? Will the consequences be bloodier than even Kaz Brekker can stomach? Or is Kaz ruthlessness paying off in the end - as per usual? Post Crooked Kingdom, post King of Scars. Set after 'How the Crow Flies' in which Kaz overcomes his aversion to touch and discovers the new parem - I recommend reading part one first, but if you want to skip it, the notes contain a brief summary.Set out running but I'll take my timeA friend of the Devil is a friend of mineIf I get home before daylightI just might get some sleep tonight
Relationships: Cornelis Smeet - Relationship, Jesper Fahey/Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker & Wylan Van Eck, Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Kaz Brekker/Jesper Fahey, Rotty & Specht (Six of Crows)
Series: Duology How the Crow Flies / Friends of the Devil [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007250
Kudos: 3





	1. Sydney

**Author's Note:**

> Summary of How the Crow Flies:  
> Inej sets sail on the Wraith and embraces her life as a captain while trying to figure out her complicated relationship to Kaz from afar. With the best intentions of keeping him away from gambling halls, Jesper has been brutally kicked out of the dregs and separated from both his guns and the Barrel. Wylan is using his street smartness to recruit runners from the Barrel that help him excel in the business quarters of Ketterdam. Jesper is good at playing the markets and (mostly) enjoys his quiet life with Wylan, until his former gang leader shows up with a proposition. With Inej out of the picture, Kaz seeks more than a little help from Jesper to overcome his touch aversion. The methods deployed lead Wylan into a rash decision that ultimately leaves Kaz in the hand of pirates. When Inej returns to Ketterdam, she finds Kaz gone, Jesper tight lipped, and Wylan evasive. Meanwhile, Nina is walking on ever-thinning ice as a spy in Fjerda, and a message from Zoya spurs Wylan into action. After rescuing Kaz from the pirates, the crows come up with a cunning scheme for extracting Nina - and finally killing Jarl Brum. How do they invade Fjerda a second time? They are from Ketterdam, so it's all about trade: Back in Ravka, Kuwei (accidentally) discovered a new kind of parem, and Wylan transformed the formula into a recreational drug for the masses, while at the same time stockpiling Jurda. Fjerdans want to buy both, and during the trade negotiations they get insulted, bombs detonate all over the ice court, and in the end, six of crows escape over the ice. Hanne Brum makes no new friends among the dregs, Nina and Inej are still as close as ever, Kaz and Wylan are reluctant allies, and the food on board the Wraith is awful. Kaz brings all his dubious moral qualities to relationships, and acts on his feelings for his captain and his sharpshooter. On top of that, he is experimenting with parem. Eventually, Kaz gets his hands on both the formula for parem and the jurda supply by tricking Jesper (in bed) and Wylan (at his father's funeral). Inej sets sail once more, hoping against hope that Kaz will not burn down Ketterdam in her absence.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember Sydney? She is the kid Jesper and Wylan saved in chapter one of 'How the Crow Flies'. Here, she loiters near her old abode (trashcan alley) in an attempt to join the Dregs.

**Sydney**

Ghezen, the smell. Sydney leaned against the wall in the dark and grimy back alley, and tentatively kicked one of the trashcans that lined the brick wall at the dead end with her toe. ‘Home sweet home’, she mumbled. She allowed herself a smile at the memory of Wylan’s comment years ago: ’She doesn’t smell like she can read’. Wylan was funny, occasionally. Personally, she had always been more at ease around Jesper. She was going to miss hanging out at the big house, Sydney admitted to herself. Anyway, it hadn’t been the same lately, and she was ready to spread her wings. Who would have thought though that freedom was so smelly. Also, how long did it take the darn dregs to notice someone new hanging out in their territory. 

As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait much longer. A tall, thin, blonde-haired teenage boy poked his head around the corner and whistled. 

‘What’s a pretty thing like you doing here?’

Sydney grinned, mostly out of relief that something was finally going to happen. ‘Who wants to know?’, she asked with a shrug.

‘Name’s Roeder’, he nodded, ‘self?’.

’Sydney’.

As Roeder didn’t say anything else, but seemed content with leering at her, she continued. 

‘I am not looking for trouble, I just want to make some cash’.

At this, his face brightened.

’It’s your lucky day. I’ll take you up to my room’.

‘Shit’, thought Sydney. Sounds good’, she said, fingering the knife up her sleeve. This was not exactly how she had planned for this to go down, but then she didn’t have much of a plan to begin with.

Roeder took hold of her arm, and steered her out of the alley, around a corner, and onto a narrow pathway along the canal towards a crooked brick building, the sight of which made Sydney’s heart sing: The Slat. 

‘You’re with the dregs?’, she tried to sound nonchalant.

He didn’t answer, but steered her through the entrance, into a room to the side. ‘Right this way’. As he slammed the door behind them, she acknowledged that Roeder was not as horny as she thought, and they had not ended up in a bedroom. She still felt for her knife, which, if you have one, is really the thing to do, whenever you are facing Kaz Brekker.


	2. Roeder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it take to get ahead in the dregs? Whatever it is, Roeder doesn't seem to have it. The new recruit though is a different story.
> 
> ‘More Kruege would make me more happy’, Roeder confessed.  
> ‘Can’t right now’, Kaz sounded almost apologetic. ‘I am investing’.  
> ‘Oh, the mysterious project’, Roeder rolled his eyes.  
> ‘Roeder, I send you all over town into extremely dangerous situations. What do you think happens if you get caught?’  
> ‘I am dead’.  
> ‘Most likely’, Kaz admitted. ‘In which case I’d spill a tear in my beer’.  
> ‘Don’t spoil your lager over me. I don’t care.’  
> ‘And I do appreciate that ‘, Kaz smiled. ‘But however much you don’t like me, the dregs are your gang. If you are ever captured alive we will come for you. Unless...’ , Kaz paused for effect. It worked, too.  
> ‘Unless what?’ Roeder was intrigued despite himself.  
> ‘Unless you know about my new project. In which case I’d expect you to kill yourself if you’re even close to getting captured and you’d find failing to do so an extremely regrettable choice‘.  
> Roeder thought this over: ‘What the hell are you getting us into?’  
> ‘You want to know?’ Kaz asked cheerfully.  
> ‘No’, Roeder decided and got out of the room.

**Roeder**

He sensed the girl at his side shift uneasily, but she didn’t flinch. She pulled on a strand of her red curls and flipped the hair over her shoulder. Roeder mentally assigned her a few extra bravado brownie points, before turning his attention to Kaz.

‘Brought her in as requested. Name is Sydney. I think she’ll be good at the White Rose’.

Roeder had tried, and failed, to impress his boss. He was a good spider, and, as Kaz had pointed out, an even better gofer, picking up any and every odd task dirtyhands needed done. Kaz wasn’t one for praise, which was just as well, but in Roeder’s case, he also hadn’t been one for promotion or rewards lately. Roeder was eager to move up through the ranks, mostly because that was the only trajectory that he could see for himself. Some kids treated their gang as their family. Roeder’s relationship was purely transactional. He wanted Kruege in his pocket, a roof over his head, and an approximation of safety if he wasn’t on a job. In that order. His life goals were a better room and more money. Unfortunately, from the look he got from Kaz, this upward mobility would probably have to wait a little longer.

‘Too young, don’t you think?’, was all that Kaz said.

‘I am sixteen’, Sydney announced, and Roeder had to suppress a smirk at the annoyance in her voice.

‘Hardly’, Kaz replied.

‘I won’t argue the point, since I have no interest in that line of work’, Sydney straightened her posture. ‘ I am making a bid to join. I am a good thief and a passable fighter ‘.

Kaz smiled benevolently: ‘It’s a gang. I am looking for killers. Hard ones’.

In Roeder’s experience, most street rats reconsidered their odds at this point in the conversation. Sydney merely shrugged. ‘How do I prove myself? Do I need to kill anyone in particular, or is a random violent act good enough?’

Roeder wondered who on earth he had just dragged into the Slat, as Knocker wandered into the room.

They had set up this meeting in Per Haskell’s old office, and the boy had started using it for his projects, mostly assignments made up by Annika to keep him out of trouble.

Now, Knocker’s face was set.

‘Sydney, if you’re here to make me come back, it’s no use. I am with the dregs now’.

Sydney laughed, actually laughed at Kaz: ‘Seriously?’

Roeder started to like the girl, and even Kaz dropped his poker face.

‘I take it you know each other’, he sighed.

‘She’s one of Wylan’s runners’, Knocker confirmed, confusion in his voice.

‘Was’, muttered Sydney.

Then her face brightened.

‘Perfect timing. Random then’, she said happily, and pushed Knocker over. Roeder saw the blade in her hand, heard Knocker cry out, and managed to get in Kaz’ way as they both jumped in to intervene.

‘Stop’, Roeder yelled.

Sydney had a knife to Knocker’s throat, and the boy was bleeding from his shoulder.

She laughed again, and looked straight at Kaz.

‘If I kill him, can I join or does he not count? I could understand if he didn’t. Bit of a low hanging fruit’.

Kaz dismantled the situation with a few well chosen words and his highly practical cane.

‘Sorry’, Sydney apologized most insincerely. ‘He made a convenient target’. She winked: ‘An opportunity to get my hands dirty’.

Kaz managed to look both exasperated and amused. ‘Knocker has barely a scratch, so you’re lucky. You can stay for now , do a few jobs and we’ll talk again‘.

Sydney was kindly asked not to stick her knife into any other members of the dregs, and Kaz closed the door on a very pale and hurt looking Knocker and a very pleased looking Sydney.

‘She is a psycho’, Roeder gasped.

‘I know’, Kaz sounded incongruously happy. ‘What a find. She’ll be great.’

Roeder made it a point to not look out for other people. He also made it a point to never disagree with Kaz Brekker. However, everyone had a weak spot, and this, apparently, was his:

‘Brekker, she’s right. It’s laughable that Knocker is here. You need to get that kid away somewhere. The Slat is no place for him ‘.

Kaz sighed: ‘I know. Once he is patched up I’ll work something out’.

Roeder could not help it: ‘Is it true he organized your suits?’

‘I said, I will get him out ‘.

Roeder laughed.

Kaz looked at him quizzically: ‘Anything else?’

‘Nope’

‘You sure? You seem upset and since you’re not soppy, you probably have good reason’.

‘More Kruege would make me more happy’, Roeder confessed.

‘Can’t right now’, Kaz sounded almost apologetic. ‘I am investing’.

‘Oh, the mysterious project’, Roeder rolled his eyes.

‘Roeder, I send you all over town into extremely dangerous situations. What do you think happens if you get caught?’

‘I am dead’.

‘Most likely’, Kaz admitted. ‘In which case I’d spill a tear in my beer’.

‘Don’t spoil your lager over me. I don’t care.’

‘And I do appreciate that ‘, Kaz smiled. ‘But however much you don’t like me, the dregs are your gang. If you are ever captured alive we will come for you. Unless...’ , Kaz paused for effect. It worked, too.

‘Unless what?’ Roeder was intrigued despite himself.

‘Unless you know about my new project. In which case I’d expect you to kill yourself if you’re even close to getting captured and you’d find failing to do so an extremely regrettable choice‘.

Roeder thought this over: ‘What the hell are you getting us into?’

‘You want to know?’ Kaz asked cheerfully.

‘No’, Roeder decided and got out of the room.


	3. Wylan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘What the hell, Wylan’.
> 
> Kaz’ speech was slurred from sleep. ‘Do you have a death wish?’
> 
> ‘He’s one to talk’, thought Wylan. He also didn’t fail to notice that Kaz was still pointing a gun at him.
> 
> ‘Unlike some people, I really don’t, so I’d appreciate if you lowered your weapon. Seeing as I am the one good man in Ketterdam’. At this, Wylan’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
> 
> Kaz sat up, seemingly becoming more awake.
> 
> ‘Oh, that was a good line’, he grinned.
> 
> ‘You conned me at my father’s funeral’.
> 
> Kaz shrugged: ‘Not that you liked him much, so what?’. He yawned: ‘Is that why you’re here?’

**Wylan**

Wylan placed the lantern on the floor where it cast a flickering light that didn’t reach the corners of the room, but was enough to illuminate its inhabitant in front of him. Kaz Brekker was asleep, snoring slightly. Only a shock of black hair was visible atop a thick downy pillow together with the shape of a wiry body curled up under heavy, woolly blankets. It was an unusual sight, so much so that what might have been a peaceful scene was actually unsettling.

The only other time that Wylan van Eck had seen the Barrel boss asleep had been after he had drugged him on board the Wraith, and as he had done so, Kaz had threatened to cut off his right hand. Wylan suspected that Jesper was the reason that he could still play the flute. And yet, here he was, poking the bear.

The kid who had snuck him into the Slat giggled at the sight of the sleeping Barrel boss. The sound startled Kaz, and Wylan made sure his careless accomplice was blocked from view whilst leaving the room by looming over the bed. ‘Time to wake up Rietveld’, he said quietly.

In hindsight, Wylan admitted this was a tad imprudent as his attention focused very sharply at the klick of a safety being released. Ghezen seemed to feel generous though since Kaz didn’t shoot but snarled at him instead.

‘What the hell, Wylan’.

Kaz’ speech was slurred from sleep. ‘Do you have a death wish?’

‘He’s one to talk’, thought Wylan. He also didn’t fail to notice that Kaz was still pointing a gun at him.

‘Unlike some people, I really don’t, so I’d appreciate if you lowered your weapon. Seeing as I am the one good man in Ketterdam’. At this, Wylan’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Kaz sat up, seemingly becoming more awake.

‘Oh, that was a good line’, he grinned.

‘You conned me at my father’s funeral’.

Kaz shrugged: ‘Not that you liked him much, so what?’. He yawned: ‘Is that why you’re here?’

Wylan shook his head. He spoke his next words with care:

‘This is an intervention’. Wylan took a moment to enjoy the look of confusion on Kaz’ face before continuing:

‘You need to stop messing with Parem. And by that I mean stop taking it, stop producing it, and don’t start selling it’.

‘It was your idea. One of your better ones’.

‘May I quote someone who generally has good business sense? The canals will run red with blood’.

Kaz shrugged. ‘That was overly dramatic. Also, I will make sure it’s not my blood ‘.

Wylan sighed in frustration. This was hopeless. ‘Here goes nothing’, he thought and soldiered on:

‘I don’t want to be your enemy. I am not looking for a fight. I just want to be safe in this city. I have a kid to look out for‘.

‘One? You seem to be seeing a small gross of kids through school‘.

For a moment, Wylan considered leaving it at that. He should know better than to trust dirtyhands with anything, least of all this. He couldn’t help it though. He had been stuck at home for a long time, caring for others who could not care for themselves. He needed someone to talk to who knew him outside his overwhelming responsibilities. Be it a friend, or an enemy or something in between.

‘A baby, Kaz. I am raising my baby sister. Plumja.’

Kaz said nothing, so Wylan explained: ‘It’s not like Alys is a terrible person. She’s just very young, and very’, he searched for the word, ‘involved with Adem Bajan. She kind of forgot about her. For kind of long periods of time.’ He trailed off. ‘Anyway, she’s with me now’.

Kaz drew in a sharp breath: ‘Your family is remarkably messed up’.

Wylan laughed.

‘No really. Your bunch makes the dregs look like an adorable scout troop ‘.

‘Thanks, I feel so much better ‘.

The weird thing was, he actually did.

‘So, I am kindly asking you to not get me killed, because’, Wylan felt the full weight of his next words ‘there is no one else for her or my mother’.

Kaz didn’t do pitying looks, so Wylan wasn’t worried about getting one. What Kaz did do, occasionally, was trying to be helpful. That thought was terrifying.

Wylan hurriedly clarified: ‘It’s how I want it. Do not interfere. Do not hurt Alys or her poor excuse of a musician. Understood?’

Kaz smiled serenely.

Wylan pulled his hands through his curls.

‘You did firebomb Smeet’s office, didn’t you?’ Without waiting for confirmation he went on: ‘And you kidnapped his wife and daughter’.

Kaz shrugged. ‘Next time I burn down a building I can leave the woman and child inside, since you’re so sensitive’.

Wylan looked to the ceiling for help. ‘Ghezen, I told you I was handling it’.

Kaz smiled: ‘It’s handled now. Last I have heard the family is moving to the countryside’.

‘There was never any real danger for Colm Fahey or Jesper’.

Wylan hadn’t realized that his voice was raised, until he heard a loud, amused drawl drifting in from the hallway: ‘Kaz, I thought you passed out. Are we still drinking?’

And with that, a very tall man with a slightly off-kilter gait flew in the room. He wore a white shirt and brown, tight fitting drawers. His face was a mess of long black hair and beard, his dark eyes sparkled, and his head was adorned with a tricorn hat.

‘Ohhh, we have company! How delightful. Kaz, darling, you’re full of surprises’.


	4. Jack

**Jack**

Jack was pretty drunk, even by his own, well-adjusted standards. The Slat was an incredibly fun place to hang out if you liked the kinds of things the kind of people there were into. To Jack, it was homecoming. From the moment he met Kaz he had sensed that the scrawny boy would change his life, and he hadn’t since been disappointed. For one thing, his acquaintance was lucrative, for another, he never ran out of surprises. Like right now.

Jack gave the young boy in the expensive, well-tailored coat his very best smile, while taking in the curly hair and milk white skin, and oh, were those freckles? The room was pretty dark and somewhat hard to navigate and that chair really had it coming. Jack found his footing and a seat very close to the little princeling.

Time for introductions: ‘Captain Jack Crow. A friend of the devil is a friend of mine’, he announced somberly.

To his surprise, the golden boy did not offer his name in return, but merely snorted:

‘The devil? Seriously?’

Jack was getting confused. And thirsty: ‘He doesn’t know your handle? Not a friend then? Why is he still alive?’

‘Because everyone needs a nemesis. Wylan here is mine’.

Wylan kept ignoring Jack. It began to annoy him.

‘I see you have a thing for captains. Does Jesper know?’

We haven’t exactly been on speaking terms’, Kaz responded.

‘Who is Jesper?’, Jack inquired, but the look on Kaz’ face told him this topic was off-limit.

Kaz pulled out a bottle of Whiskey and filled three glasses.

He winked at Jack, who focused his attention on Wylan and explained that Kaz and he had met on a Shuhan pirate ship, which, through a series of fortune, albeit blood-soaked events was now his ship.

Wylan listened intently. Jack wasn’t surprised. It was a good story after all.

Kaz however was in an uncharacteristically good mood. Something about the situation clearly amused him.

Finally, he interrupted: ‘Now that we’re all on the same boat, let me make a few things clear. Jack and I are business partners, and my business is Parem, like it or not. If you don’t want trouble, stay away from the Dregs’.

‘It’s never that simple, Kaz. It’s not an alliance to sever, it’s friendships to ignore. There are people I’d always go to bat for’.

That was an opening Jack could work with:

‘What about people you go to bed with?’

It was all downhill from there. He kissed like a little prince, too. And then some. Jack really enjoyed staying at the Slat.


	5. Kaz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting at the crow club. Jesper is the new owner. Kaz has a little piece of advice. If you are wondering how this happened, read an excerpt of part one 'How the Crow Flies' in the chapter notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From 'How the Crow Flies':
> 
> Jesper tried very hard, though likely unsuccessfully, to keep his emotions from showing on his face. ’So this is good-bye then’.  
> ’How about I give you the Crow Club?’  
> Jesper laughed. ’You’d give me the largest source of income for your gang as a present?’  
> ‘Of course not. I won’t learn your favorite flower either. You’ll buy it’.  
> ‘I don’t have that kind of money’, a fact that Kaz knew full well.  
> ‘Last I checked you had five million Kruege to your name. It pays well to work with me.’  
> ‘For one thing, the crow club is worth twice as much. For another, most of my money is invested. My da handled it’. Jesper hadn’t liked it, but he could hardly say no after everything he had put his father through. He shrugged ‘I own an impressive stretch of jurda farmland at the frontier in Novyi Zem’.  
> Kaz didn’t miss a beat. ‘So let’s trade’.  
> ‘You’ll trade the Crow Club against jurda as far the eye can see? That’s insane.’  
> ‘Maybe I am making a bad deal’, Kaz cocked his head. He looked extremely pleased with himself as he continued: ’Though I don’t think so. In fact, quite the opposite’.  
> ‘You are serious?’, Jesper asked incredulously.  
> ‘I may be a thieving, murdering monster, but I’ll keep to any deal you strike with me. Do you want it or not?’  
> Jesper saw himself walking the floor of the Crow Club. Ghezen, he would be able to play all night and fleece his own pockets. It sounded a lot more attractive than enlisting in the army.  
> ’If you really want me to stay this badly, I agree to your ridiculous terms’.  
> ‘The deal is the deal?’, Kaz asked.  
> ‘The deal is the deal’, Jesper confirmed.

**Kaz**

The owner of the crow club looked like he had a rough night. Or rather a series of rough nights. His suit was crumpled, his hair messy, and his eyes shadowed. Also, he had fallen asleep sitting at his desk.

Kaz took the coffee pot Knocker was holding and placed it very carefully on the desk, pushing some overflowing ledgers aside, then motioned for the boy to sit.

Soundlessly, Kaz moved around the office to find mugs and sugar. He remembered that Jesper liked his coffee sweet. When he had poured the dark, hot liquid into a cup and stirred in a large spoonful of sugar, he gently touched Jesper’s cheek. When gentle didn’t work, he roughly shook his shoulder. Jesper sat up with a grunt, startled, and from the looks of it, already mad at him. 

As a general rule, Kaz avoided appearing defensive or apologetic. Instinct pulled him in the opposite direction:

‘Do you make it a habit to sleep in your office? Quite a lapse in standards, I have to say.’ He handed Jesper the coffee and continued in an amused, detached tone: ‘Shouldn’t you be worried about balancing the books? Business has been tough, as I’ve heard’. 

The dregs had squeezed practically every cent out of the crow club for protection, so it was safe to assume that Jesper was struggling financially. What Jesper didn’t know is that Kaz saw it more as a loan, and less as a fee. He had needed some extra cash for his new business venture, temporarily. Since the sharpshooter insisted on his stubborn refusal to talk to him there hadn’t been an opportunity to explain. So he had sent his best enforcers instead. Jesper had paid the outrageous sum they demanded, but it gave him a reputation for being a pushover. Kaz had learned recently that the prices for whiskey and lager were decidedly steeper for the new management. It seemed this finally had pushed Jesper into a corner. 

Kaz poured himself a cup of coffee and wrapped his gloved fingers around the mug. Jesper stared at him wordlessly. Good. Kaz preferred an attentive audience.

‘No worries. I am here to help. Look who I brought you. Knocker here is going to work on your books’.

Jesper inhaled sharply: ‘Go home, Knocker. Right now. Whatever you got yourself into, Wylan will sort it out’.

Knocker jotted out his chin: ‘I am with the dregs now. Took the tattoo and all. I heard you don’t have yours anymore.’

Jesper looked like he had just stepped into something particularly disgusting and found that the smelly, sticky substance under his shoe was Kaz. 

‘You can’t be serious’.

Kaz shrugged: ‘He was part of a package’.

Jesper raised an eyebrow: ‘Charlotte?’

Kaz nodded. ‘She is a great spider, among other things’. She is a young version of you, he didn’t say. Charlotte’s cheerful attitude and easy demeanor when it came to exploring criminal ways of hauling in Kruege was uncannily close to Jesper’s flamboyance.

‘Does Wylan even know they’re alive?’, Jesper asked hotly.

Kaz made a face: ‘I may have mentioned it over drinks. I don’t quite recall. It was a late night’. He turned to the kid at his side:

‘Knocker, please be somewhere else’.

Knocker hadn’t picked up much during his months with the dregs, mostly because nobody showed him anything other than the location of the cleaning supplies. He had however leaned to follow a direct order from Kaz Brekker. Without any question or comment he left.

At the close of the door, Kaz fixed Jesper with an intense gaze:

‘It’s been three months. I was worried. You still like your club, don’t you?’

‘I don’t like you’.

‘Hurtful’.

Jesper let out a deep breath: ‘It’s my club, as you pointed out’.

‘Yes’.

‘I decide who I hire’.

‘No’.

Jesper got out of his seat and moved to open the door: ‘Leave, or I’ll have my bruisers throw you out’.

Kaz grinned: ‘Oh, you mean the guys I hired?’

‘I gave them a raise’ Jesper retorted.

‘No wonder your finances are a mess’.

Jesper poked his head into the hallway and called over a guy who, if Kaz’ memory served him right, was built like a brick shithouse.

‘Jules, would you please show Kaz Brekker where the exit is, and make it clear that he is no longer welcome on the premises?’

Jules tentatively stepped into the office, lingering in the door. Kaz turned around in his seat.

‘Ahh, good to see you Jules. And how is your daughter?’ The big man paled, and halted in mid movement. 

Jesper rolled his eyes. ‘Cut it out, Kaz. Jules, you can go. I’ll handle this myself’. Jesper leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed and looked down at Kaz. His voice was surprisingly soft as he spoke

‘Is there anything you want to tell me?’

Kaz was stumped by the question even though he had come to do exactly that.

‘You will find business a lot easier if you start reading my notes’, he said gruffly.

Jesper laughed: ‘Are you trying to blackmail me?’

‘I am trying to tell you that I want you back’ Kaz thought. 

‘Only if it’s working’. Apparently, it wasn’t. ‘Look, I know you are trying to keep your relationships light, but I can’t change who I am’.

‘I would say something, but you’re making my point for me’.

Kaz decided he had enough. He threw a piece of paper on the table:

‘This is my last note. Take it or leave it’.


End file.
